Former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani has advised candidates affected by the Supreme Court ruling that empowered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to exclude their names from ballots to abandon legal efforts and focus on future elections instead. The advice came after INEC published the final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections on Saturday, naming 18 presidential candidates, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi.
Senator Sani's Call to Affected Candidates
Senator Sani said the ruling was clear and that continuing to fight it in court would be a costly and futile exercise. The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain directed his appeal not only at the candidates but also at their legal representatives. The APC candidate in Kaduna Central urged senior advocates and barristers to stop encouraging fresh lawsuits for fees when the legal battle was, in his view, already over.
He stated this in a post shared via his X handle @ShehuSani on Saturday, October 10, 2026. "Affected candidates should not waste their money, time, and energy fighting a lost battle," the senator wrote. "Four years will come and go; let them strategise for the future."
Mixed Reactions from Nigerians Online
His comments drew sharp pushback from several Nigerians online. @AdamAbbaAji questioned the senator's confidence in the finality of the ruling, joking that in Nigeria, the highest bidder often carries more weight than the highest court. "The Supreme Court may be the highest court in the land, but the highest bidder is still waiting upstairs!" he wrote.
@abuhafserh turned the senator's advice back on him, suggesting the counsel would serve him better personally. @RaheemRasaq_ was more pointed, saying he would return to the post once INEC acted correctly without court pressure, addressing the senator as "Mr Transistor Senator."
However, not all reactions were hostile. @Maimaaji backed the senator's position, writing: "This time, I think it's the right thing to do. Wait for the next elections. You're right, Mr Senator." @auduao1 raised doubts about the integrity of the process itself, noting that past APC figures had secured positions without contesting primaries, adding: "Anything is possible as far as the APC is in power."
2027 Election: Politicians Who Escaped INEC's Hammer
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that INEC published its final list of candidates for the 2027 elections, naming several politicians whose party membership status had been under scrutiny following a Supreme Court ruling. The September 24 Supreme Court judgment restored key Electoral Act provisions requiring parties to submit membership registers to INEC at least 21 days before primaries.
Former IGP Mohammed Adamu, ex-Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, and Senator Saliu Mustapha are among those who made the final list despite questions about their party switches. The senator's remarks have sparked a broader debate about the finality of the ruling and the prospects for affected candidates in the upcoming electoral cycle.
